Site of the Poli Uprising

Site of the Pōlǐ Uprising

The Site of the Pōlǐ Uprising is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaocheng City.

The areas to the east of Poli, such as Guodian Tun and Jiuduyang, were inhabited mainly by impoverished peasants. Under the influence of Communist Party members like Yang Gengxin, who conducted propaganda and mobilization efforts, the awareness of the local peasants grew. They began to raise revolutionary slogans such as "Down with imperialism," "Tear down churches," and "Overthrow local tyrants and distribute land." At that time, in the area around Yanggu’s Hanzhuang, there was an armed group led by Han Jiande that fought against local despots and gentry. Later, Yang Gengxin established contact with Han Jiande. Yang explained the principles of the Communist Party, and Han expressed willingness to join in carrying out a grand cause together. Under the specific guidance of Yang Gengxin and Nie Zizheng, a core armed force of nearly 100 members was formed, composed of Han Jiande’s troops and members of the Peasant Association.

After the establishment of the Dongchang County Committee of the Communist Party (also known as the Luxi County Committee) in October 1927, based on instructions from the Provincial Committee and the political and economic conditions in Luxi, it was decided to launch an armed uprising in Poli. On the evening of January 14, 1928 (the 22nd day of the 12th lunar month in the year of Dingmao), Han Jiande and Nie Zizheng led the uprising forces to take advantage of the church holding evening prayers, when worshippers could come and go freely, and successfully stormed and occupied the entire church compound. They gathered and controlled around two to three hundred guards, thugs, bishops, nuns, and worshippers, seizing forty to fifty firearms, over ten thousand rounds of ammunition, 27,000 silver dollars, several thousand dan of grain, and a large quantity of other supplies. The next day, Wang Yinsheng, Zhang Ganmin, and Yang Gengxin quickly arrived in Poli. After discussions, they established the “Donglin Regional Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Committee,” set up a leadership body with Han Jiande as commander-in-chief, and assigned Nie Zizheng, a member of the county committee, to handle military affairs on behalf of the Party organization. At the same time, in the name of the “Donglin Regional Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Committee,” they issued a “Proclamation to the Masses,” clarifying their political stance and the goals of the uprising. They also opened the granaries to distribute food to relieve the people, confiscated property from landlords and despots, and mobilized poor peasants to join the fight.

The gunfire of the Pōlǐ Uprising shocked the reactionary ruling class. Wang Jiazheng, the magistrate of Yanggu County, died of shock upon hearing the news. Lu Chunyuan, the magistrate of Dongchang, immediately reported to Zhang Zongchang and urgently mobilized over four to five thousand troops, including uprising forces from twelve counties and local militias, to quickly march toward Poli and surround the church. Due to the overwhelming strength of the reactionary forces, on the evening of February 7, the uprising forces withdrew from the church and, before dawn, passed through Tangyi and reached the border of Guan County, where they were intercepted by troops under the command of Zhili Military Commissioner Chu Yupu. The vigorous Pōlǐ Uprising ultimately failed.

The Pōlǐ Uprising was the earliest armed peasant uprising in Shandong led by the Communist Party of China and had a profound and lasting impact on the development of armed struggles in Luxi region and the entire province. In April 1999, the site of the Pōlǐ Uprising was listed among the first batch of key cultural relic protection units in Liaocheng City. (Text provided by the Yanggu County Annals Office)